Felt’s family issued a statement which said: “The family believes my grandfather, Mark Felt Sr., is a great American hero who went well above and beyond the call of duty at much risk to himself to save his country from a horrible injustice. We all sincerely hope the country will see him this way as well.”

Felt suffered a stroke several years ago and lives with his daughter, Joan, in Santa Rosa. It appears he kept his Deep Throat identity a secret from his family until 2002. According to the family statement, Felt said: “I guess people used to think Deep Throat was a criminal, but now they think he was a hero.”